Years Trickled Away
by An Preson Peepul
Summary: Is it sad my years surpass even those of a dragon? Perhaps.


**This one has some continuity to my other FE one-shot, for anyone asking. I could have been writing another chapter for any of my bigger fics. Instead I wrote this.**

**I have no regrets.**

**Cover art by me, because my sister demands I pay her with money I don't have.**

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"Come on, Robin! Don't you want to play?"

Robin looked up from the tomes bundled in her arms. Two shimmering lavender eyes blinked back in the sunlight, peering over a thick leather cover. A smile stretched beneath them, so childlike and brimming with hope. Robin returned the innocent stare with the same, blank-faced expression she always wore, mouth set in a firm line and her eyebrows straight.

"Not now," she replied, and she stepped around the small girl in her path, continuing her stroll down the hall.

Nowi groaned, throwing her head back in exasperation.

"But whyyyyy?" she asked, turning around as Robin walked past.

"To busy. I've got work to do."

She was already at the next doorway when she felt something latch on to her elbow. She stopped, and she looked down her arm. Nowi glared back with her cheeks puffed up in a pout.

"You can do work stuff later!" she said, digging her heels in the blue carpet. "You need to spend time doing fun stuff. Nowi's orders!"

"Nowi, I outrank you."

Nowi rolled her eyes and huffed. "Yeah? What's new?"

When she realized she wasn't going to get out of this, Robin sighed. "Why me, then? I'm sure Libra or Stahl would be happy to play with you."

"Other Robin said he was going to play with me, but then Chrom and Lissa dragged him off, and now I can't find him anywhere," Nowi said as if she were talking to a child. Robin found this ironic for the fact it was a child preaching to her. "So, as second best Robin in the camp, the responsibility falls on you to play with me."

"Well, maybe he had more important things to worry about, like I have right now."

A frown crossed the small girl's lips. "Why do you have to act so old? I'm a thousand years old, and even I feel myself getting wrinkles by just talking to you."

Robin raised an eyebrow. "Not all of us have a thousand more years to spare for play."

"I know, but you act like you can't even spend a minute to have fun!" Nowi said. Robin kept her gaze on her as she tried to step away, but Nowi tugged her back to stop her from leaving.

Robin instantly crumpled. Surprised, Nowi yelped and released Robin's arm, and she hit the floor with a thud. Her tomes tumbled out of her arms and spilled forth, trailing out in front of her.

Nowi's hands flew to cover her open mouth. "Oh no! Robin, I'm so sorry!"

Robin pressed her palms against the floor, asks tried to push herself back to her feet. All she got for her efforts was a dull ache.

"It's fine," she said. "But I really do have things to do."

"But you're tired! You need a break!"

Robin sighed, and she attempted to get up again. This time, she managed to push off the ground a little, but her arms trembled under her weight.

"Maybe when you're-" Her arms suddenly buckled, and she cut herself off as she collapsed.

A pained grunt escaped her lips before she could stop herself. She felt a flicker of annoyance, cursing her frail arms, one of the few constants that stuck to her through all her years. It dulled itself quickly, gone as fast as it had come.

For a third time, Robin tried to get up. Something in her arms creaked, and her muscles felt like they could snap at any moment. She pressed on past all of that, and finally got to her feet, shaky as they might have been.

As she brushed the dust off her purple coat, she turned to face Nowi one more time.

"Maybe when you're as old as me," she said again, "you'll understand."

Nowi's brows furrowed, and she gave Robin a confused stare. "Don't you mean as tall as you?" she asked.

For the briefest moment, a sad smile spread across her lips; the most emotion she had shown in a long time. Her lips curled up, and she looked a thousand years old. Felt it, too.

Slowly, she extended a hand. Nowi's confusion only grew as Robin's hand came closer. To her surprise, Robin's hand came down on the top of her head and ruffled her blonde mop.

"Sure, kid," Robin said. "Sure, kid."


End file.
